Red
by Chromatic Shade
Summary: He could've won. He could've done it He would have shown them all. If only he had an enemy greater than his apathy, he could've won. Featuring a guest appearance by Dr. Doom. Warning: Character death.


A/N: I was digging through my computer and decided to upload this. It's a bit old, and not beta'd, so there may be mistakes. I was entirely sure where to put his, to be honest...But oh well! Tell me what you think of my short little drabble!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN. I own no rights, and make no money off of this. You hear me? NONE.

He could've won. He could've done it He would have shown them all. If only he had an enemy greater than his apathy, he could've won. But he simply didn't _car_e anymore. It was a constant game and he no longer wanted to play. Loki was tired of the same battles being repeated over and over with the same outcome. He was a stone statue standing in the middle of passionate fire, vigilant but slowly crumbling. The fire was composed of two sides, but he could no longer discern them. Could no longer tell hero from villain, good from evil. The previously vivid colors had washed out and left a shell behind. As such, he shouldn't have been surprised when the bright red began to blossom on his chest. Betrayal was part of the insufferable cycle, and friends were not exempt from this. But for some strange reason, Loki hadn't expected it. He found himself stepping backwards, eyes wide in painful shock.

The enemy had not been defeated. They hadn't even faced them yet. His brother lived on. The battle was still new. Victor's own plan had not deployed yet, his newest machine-magic hybrid still sat quietly in it;s hidden place. There was absolutely no reason for Doom to suddenly betray him. It just didn't fit!

Everything he knew about Victor and villains and betrayal contradicted what was happening. When you have an ally you don't kill them until their usefulness was void or they were already planning to double-cross you. And he couldn't possibly be thinking of himself right now, and of the many atrocities he had committed out of selfish rage and no, that wasn't guilt he felt because he was cold and hard with no emotion and it all _DIDN'T MAKE SENSE_! Loki's carefully oriented system was dissolving.

He lightly touched the wound. His fingers were coated in red when he pulled them away. Loki backed up again, coughing. A stream of blood traveled down the side of his mouth. The substance began to create a tantalizing design downward despite his armor. His heart and breath slowed, as if mesmerized by the tiny droplets' journey to the ground. It wasn't until the first drop reached its destination that either of them reacted. It smacked against the concrete with a soft _plin_k, sounding like a deafening roar in the stunned silence.

The reaction came from the cause, Victor smiled as a second bleeding wound was created beside the first. Loki fell. He didn't try to struggle, he let the full flood of pain wash over. It couldn't do much, he was used to pain. Pain was fine, familiar.

Doom walked closer to Loki with a smirk prominent beneath his metal mask. Loki's eyes were half closed, his body shutting down.

"This moment was perfect, correct? Striking down an enemy when he least expects it," Victor brushed hair from Loki's face, wishing to fully see the agony in his eyes, "Of course, you're no stranger to pain, are you Loki? You've both caused and been a victim to it. More often the victim. You've thought yourself powerful, above the discomforts of human beings. Well now I have proved that you are as weak as any man, if not weaker."

His words were meant to cut, but they had no effect on Loki. He was already broken, had been many times before he met the king. His previous shock was over. He now saw the event in a new light. The crisp red was a break in the monotony. It was a splash of color in his world of greys and blacks. In fact, he welcomed it. His eyes were closed, his life nearly depleted. Victor left him alone in the room to die. Loki smiled with blood stained lips. It was beautiful

He had no sorrow for his passing. No, because this was something new, something fresh. So he released his hold on the world and let himself drift away from the crushing hold of life. He let himself leave the world with a tarnished record. He left only bitter memories in all but a few. Loki's vision swam with hypnotic waves of light. Of _Red._

Thor's color.


End file.
